ISL 


m» 


#6^6 


I  CJ  U  U  _l  J  / 


No.    St. 

THE 


BOLD    BLASPHEMER 


A    NARRATIVE   OF    FACTS. 


ABOUT  thirty  miles  from  the  place  in  which  for  a  number  of 
years  I  resided,  lived  a  respectable  family,  with  whom  I 
frequently  tarried  for  a  night,  and  became  well  acquainted. 
In  that  new  country  there  are  very  few  taverns  except  in 
towns,  and  at  the  house  of  ]\Ir.  W.  L.  I  always  received 
a  hearty  welcome.  He  was  a  frank,  open-hearted,  hospitable 
man,  and  though  himself  irreligious,  was  quick-sighted  to  dis- 
cern consistenc)'^  of  character,  and  respected  the  man  who  was 
not  ashamed  of  his  religion .  I  had  several  times  heard  him  men- 
tion that  the  overseer  he  had  employed  for  a  number  of  years' 
was  sick,  and  had  gone  to  live  nearer  to  a  physician,  and  ho 
often  expressed  his  fears  that  "  poor  T.  would  not  recover." 
His  complaints  were  of  such  a  nature  as  almost  to  preclude 
the  hope. 

I  asked  something  about  the  character  of  the  -ick  man  ;  and 
in  reply  Mr.  L.  said,  "  He  is  the  best  manager  I  ever  had,  but 
he  is  the  most  wicked  swearer  I  ever  heard.  Bad  as  I  am 
myself,  it  chills  my  very  blood,  to  hear  him.  It  seems  to  me 
his  oaths  must  come  from  the  lower  regions,  the}'  are  so  wick- 
ed.'" I  asked,  "  Does  he  not  seem  sensible  that  he  has  but 
a  iittle  time  to  live?"  Mr.  L.  answered,  *' I  told  him  last 
week  that  he  did  not  seem  to  be  getting  any  better,  when  he 
broke  out  into  such  a  volley  of  tjurses,  that  I  was  almost  afraid 
to  stay  in  the  house.  Ho  cursed  his  Maker  for  sending  upon 
him  such  suiierings.  He  cursed  the  physicians  for  not  curing 
lim.  He  cursed  me  for  telling  him  he  would  not  get  well. 
I  never  heard  such  profaneness.     It  was  awful  to  hear  him.'^ 

When  J.  T.  found  there  was  no  hope  of  curej  he  requested 
to  be  carried  homo  to  the  house  of  his  employer,  and  here  I 
saw  and  heard  this  bold  blasphemer.  My  first  interview  was 
very  brief,  and  he  attempted  no  reply  to  the  few  words  I  ad- 
dressed to  brm. 


2*  *rHi:    BOLD    B1<ASPHEM£R. 

In  the  same  rcsigliborhood  lived  an  humble  Christian,  whom 
this  blasphemer  had  delighted  to  ridicule.  As  soon  as  good 
Mr.  G.  heard  of  J.  T. 's  return  to  the  neighborhood,  he  took 
his  Bible  and  went  over  to  see  him.  To  the  usual  inquiry  as 
to  his  health,  he  uttered  a  horrid  oath,  and  said,  "  You  see  I 
am  sick,  what  do  you  ask  me  for  ?"  Mr.  G.  remarked,  "•  Yes, 
I  know  you  are  sick,  and  I  came  over  to  sit  awhile  and  have 
some  talk  with  you." 

T.     "  Well,  if  you  have  any  news  to  tell  me,  speak  out ;  but 
don't  S3,y  a  word  about  your  cursed  religion.     I  hate  it," 
i/r.  G.     "  Why  do  you  hate  religion  ?" 
2\  J  "  I  never  saw  any  body  made  better  by  it." 

(?,  •  "How  is  that?     Look  at  James' S, .     Is  he  the 

same  horse- racer,  and  fighter,   and  drunkard,  he  used  to  be  ? 
Is  he  none  the  better  for  his  religion  f 

T.  "  Perhaps  he  is ;  but  there  is  H.  W.  over  the  river,  he 
pretended  to  become  a  Christian  and  there  is  not  a  greater 
cheat  in  the  whole  county  of  W." 

C.  "  It  is  true  he  is  a  professor  of  religion,  but  it  is  to  be 
feared  from  his  conduct,  that  his  heart  is  not  right  with  God. 
But  you  don't  throw  away  all  your  bank  notes  because  you 
get  now  and  then  a -counterfeit.  One  of  the  best  evidences  of 
the  excellency  of  the  Christian  religion  is,  that  its  enemies 
■expect  its  professors  to  be  good  and  holy  men.  True  religion 
makes  those  who  possess  it,  good  men,  good  husbands,  and 
fathers,  and  masters.  Now  T.,  you  know  in  your  heart  this 
is  true." 

T.  "  And  you  know  if  I  was  not  sick  I  could  out  talk  you, 
and  head  you  up,  whichever  road  you  took ;  but  I  am  too 
sick  to  talk,  and  I  don'X  care  about  hearing  any  more  preach- 
ing." 

G.     "I  make  na  question  of  your  superior  abilities;  but 
I  think  God  has  made  me  a  happier  man  than  some  I  know." 
T,     "  I  am  not  a  happy  man,  God  knows." 
G.     "  But  I  can  tell  what  will  make  yoia  happy." 
T.     "  I  know  what  you  are  going  to  say,  but  say  on." 
G.     Opens  his  Bible  and  reads.     "This  is  a  faituful  saying, 
and  worthy  of  all  acceptation,   that   Christ  Jesus  came  into 
the,  world  to  save  sinners,  of  whom  I  am  chief."     "  Believe  on 
the  Lord  Jesus  Christ,  and  thou  shalt  be   saved."     "Repent 
ye,  therefore,  and  be  converted,  that  your  sins  maybe  blotted 
out."     "-He   tliat,  being  often   reproved,    and  •  hardeneth  his 
neck,  shall  suddenly  be  destroyed,  and  that  without  remedy." 
"Every  one  of  us  shall  givc'an  account  of  himself  to  God." 

Even  these  passages  of  Scripture,  with  the  few  remarks  by 
which  they  wore  accompanied,  were   bo  ofleusive,  that  whiijB 


THE    BOLD    BLASPHEMEU.  ^  J 

the  good  man  was  yet  speaking,  T.  summoned  uitwonted 
strength,  crawled  oflF  his  bed,  and  succeeded  in  reaching  a  bed 
in  the  adjoining  room..  Mr.  G.  was  greatly  affected,  and  after 
some  appropriate  conversation  with  Mrs,  L.  left  the  house. 

The  next  evening  a  pious  man,  who  stopped  to  spend  the 
night,  attempted  to  have  some  conversation  with  T.,  but  find- 
ing it  only  irritated  him,  he  desisted.  Ilis  case  was,  however, 
particularly  mentioned  in  family  prayer ;  but  it  so  enraged 
the  sick  man,  that  he  seized  a  chair  witli  tbe  strength  of  a 
maniac,  and  struck  his  black  boy  wlio  waited  on  hi-m. 

T.'s  situation  became  every  day  more  and  more  di'^tressing. 
As  be  became  conscious  he  could  not  live  much  longer,  his 
hatred  to  God,  to  Christians,  and  to  the  Bible,  increased  in 
malignity.  Mrs.  L.  told  him,  that  so  dreadful  were  his  im- 
precation^ and  curses,  she  was  terrified  continually,  and  feared 
some  heavy  judgment  would  be  sent  on  the  whole  house.  I 
saw  him  at  tftis  time,  and  can  never  fo^'get  his  appearance. 
He  was  emaciated  to  a  skeleton.  His  sharp  black  eye  had  an 
unnatural  fierceness;  his  voice  was  deep  and  liollow.  There 
w;a3  a  haggardness  in  his  looks,  a  restless  impatience  and  an- 
guish depicted  in  his  face,  such  as  I  never  saw  before.  I  was 
journeying  in  company  with  a  clergyman,  and  we  stopped  to 
spend  the  night  with  our  hospitable  friend,  W.  L.  I  knew 
our  visit  would  be  pleasant  to  Mrs.  L..  as  she  had  recently  in- 
dulged hope  in  Christ.  1  knew,  too,  that  she  was  greatly  dis- 
tressed and  worn  out  by  the  scene  which  was  passing  before 
her,  and  that  a  visit  from  my  friend  would  be  gratifying  to 
her,  and  as  she  had  told  me  that  his  conversation  on  the  im- 
portance of  preparation  for  death  had  been  the  means  of  lead- 
ing her-  to  the  Saviour. 

We  entered  the  usual  sitting-room,  and  here  lay  poor  T. 
He  could  not  bear  to  be  left  alone,  and  at  his  urgent  request 
he  had  been  rempved  to  this  room,  forgetting  that  he  must 
go  alone  to  try  the  .realities  of  eternity — that  he  must  go  alone 
to  the  judgment-bar  of  the  God  he  had  so  often  blasphen.ed. 

As  soon  as  conversation  could  be  introduced,  my  fellow-trav- 
eller inquired  of  T.  the  nature  of  his  complaints,  etc.  He 
was  very  free  to  converse  on  (his  subject ;  the  more  so,  pro- 
bably, because  he  knew  that  Mr.  W.  had  some  medical  knowl- 
edge. He  related  his  symptoms,  his  sufferings,  the  various 
remedijes  used,  etc.,  an  i  finding  he  was  listened  to  patiently, 
he  seemed  quite  animated,  possibly  with-  the  faint  hope  that 
somethir.g  could  yet  be  done  for  him.  Mr.  W.  endeavored  to 
draw  fron^him  whether  he  had  any  hope  of  recover}^,  and  it 
appeared  evident  that  if  he  had  any,  it  was  very  feeble.  In 
a  very  tender^  but  solemn  manner,  Mr.  W.  then  spoke  of  tho 


4  THE    HOLD    nLASPHEMEU, 

change  jvliich  awaits  all  men,  of  the  eternity  to  which  all  are 
hastening,  of  the  judgmeni-Tseat  before  which  all  must  stand, 
and  of  the  final  sentence  from  which  there  is  no  appeal,  no 
escape. 

We  listened  with  breathless  anxiety,  and  T  trust  more  than 
one  offered  up  fervent  petitions  that  this  poor  sinner  might 
awake  to  a  sense  of  his  danger.  It  was  the  first  time  he  had 
listened  so  long  to  any  serious  conversation  without  interrupt- 
ing it.  I  perceived  he  was  restless,  and  I  had  begun  to  in- 
dulge the  hope  that  we  sh^nld  hear  him  exclaim,  "  Sirs,  what 
must  I  do  to  be  saved?"  But,  alas,  when  the  question  was 
asked,  "  Do  you  feel  prepared  to  stand  before  the  hply  and 
just  God,  to  whose  eyes  all  things  are  naked  and  open?"  he 
broke  out,  saying, 

"  I  am  as  much  prepared  as  I  ever  shall  be ;  and  if  I  am  not, 
it  is  none  of  your  business." 

Fixing  his  eyes  full  upon  him,  Mr.  W.  said,  'i  Young  man, 
let  me  tell  you,  you  may  realize  your  situation  yet  before  you 
die ;  you  may  wish  in  vain  for  the  short  time  which  now  ap- 
pears between  you  and  eternity.  You  can  live  but  a  few 
days;  it  may  be  but  a  few  hours.  God  calls  3'ou  7iow  to  re- 
pent. But  if  you  loill  not,  if  3^ou  harden  your  heart  and  stifien 
your  neck,  you  r/^(77/  call  when  ^^.od  will  not  hear,  you  may 
stretch  out  you.  hand  when  he  will  not  regard,  because  you 
have  set  at  naught  all  his  counsel,  and  despised  his  reproof." 

Mr.  W.  was  asked  to  lead  in  family  prayer ;  and  here  another 
opportunity  offered,  which  was  eagerly  embraced,  of  reaching 
the  case  of  the  sick  man.  A  suitable  portion  of  Scripture 
was  read,  a  sole^i  n  and  affecting  exhortation  given,  and  then 
such  a  prayer  offered  as  it  seems  to  me  I  never  united  in  be- 
fore. I  thought  T.  would  be  melted;  but  no,  he  was  wroth 
— he  tossed  upon  his  bed — he  rolled  over — his  eyes,  Oh  I  can 
never  forget  thsir  expression  -he  raised  himself  up — he  tossed 
to  one  side  of  the  bed  and  the  other — he.  rose  upon  his  feet 
— ^^staggered  to  the  door — was  caught  and  seated  iq  a  chair  in 
the  entry  till  the  prayer  was  over,  and  then  brought  back  to 
his  bed. 

Nothing  more  was  said  to  him  that  night.  But  it  was  to 
him  a  night  of  unspeakable  horror — his  groans  we  could  dis- 
finctly  hear,  intermnigled  occasionally  with  shocking  oaths. 
He  was  evidently  afraid  to  sleep  himself,  and  seemed  decer- 
mindd  that  no  one  else  should. 

We  took  our  leave  earJy  in  the  morning,  when  again  a  word 
was  addressed  to  him.  A  week  after,  we  heard  that  this  bold 
blasphemer  had  gone  to  the  eternal  world.  The  cir(?hmstances 
of  his  death  was  related  to  me  by  Mr.  and  Mrs.  L.,  and  Mr.  G. 


TH£    BOLD    BLASPllKMEft.  o 

■  Two  nights  after  we  left  him,  there  was  evidently  a  change 
for  the  worse,  which  he  was  the  first  to  notice.  He  had  an 
hour  or  two  of  disturbed  sleep,  and  awoke  in  great  distress 
both  of  body  and  mind,  crying  out,  "I  shall  die;  Oh  I  am 
dying,  and  shalTgo  to  hell." 

Those  around  him  tried  to  tell  him  about  the  Saviour  of 
sinners,  but  he  would  not  hear.  He  continued  to  exclaim,  "  I 
am  lost — O,  I  am  lost — I  shall  go  to  hell." 

He  reqnested  Mr.  W.  to  be  sent  for ;  but  as  it  was  thought 
he  could  not  live  through' the  night,  and  the  distance  was 
great,  it  was  not  judged  best  to  geud.  He  then  requested  old 
Mr.  Gr.  to  be  sent  for.     The  old  man  soon  came. 

Air.  r.     "0  do  pray  for  me,  I  must  die,  and  go  to  hell." 

Mr.  G.  '  "  You  must  pray  for  yourself." 

T.     "I  can't." 

G.     "  You  can  say,  '  God  bo  merciful  to  me  a  sinner,'  " 

2\     "  O-  no  1  can't.     God  will  not  hear  such  a  wrfetch," 

G.  "  But  my  prayers  cannot  save  you  ;  you  must  pray  for 
yourself;  you  must  repent  of  sin.  You  must  believe  in  the 
Lord  Jesus  Christ;  yield  up  yourself  to  him,  and  through  his 
atoning  blood  all  your  sins  shall  be  forgiven." 

T.     "  0  do  pray — 0  do  pray  for  me." 

His  request  was  complied  with  ;  but  he  continued  his  groans 
and  exclamations,  so  that  it  is  probable  he  heard  but  little  of 
the  prayer.  When  Mr.  G.  ceased,  he  begged  him  to  read  the 
Bible.  This  was  done.  K  Mr.  G.  stopped,  he  would  cry  out, 
"  do  read,"  or  "  do  pray,"  or  "  do  talk." 

Mr.  G,  fearing  he  wa.^  depending  ou  him  to  save  him,  and 
knowing  that  he  was  rapidly  going  into  eternity,  left  the  house. 
He  told  mc  he  could  scarcely  endure  the  moans  and  cries  which 
this  blasphemer  uttered.  ,  They  seemed  not  the  cries  of  a  peni- 
tent pleading  Cor  mercy,  but  of  a  soul  suffering  under  God's 
wrath,  and  tasting  the  cup  which  his  own  folly  and  wicked- 
ness had  mixed.  He  tossed  upon  his  bed,  lashed  by  the  up- 
braidings  of  conscience,  and  there  seemed  to  be  reaHzed  in 
his  case  "a  certain  fearful  looking  for  of  judgment «nd fiery 
indignation  "  from  his  offended  Creator. 

He  was  often  urged,  during  tbese  hours  of  anguish,  t.j  re- 
pent now — to  pray  now.  To  which  he  invariably  answered, 
"  I  can't — 'tis  too  late — too  late — 'tis  too  late  for  me..  Take 
warning  by  me,  0 'take  v\'arning — 'tis  too  late  for  me."  In 
this  manner  he  continued  to  groan,  and  toss,  and  struggle,  till 
nature  was  exhausted. 

Thiis  died  this  bold  blasphemer.     And  now  where  is  he  ? 
Ileadei'j  here  is  a  .-imple   narrative  of  fact^-.     Mai5y  persons 
were  acquain-ted  with  tile  man  and  the  manner  of  his  death.     I 


C  THE    BOLD    BLASPHEMER. 

often  heard  it  talked  about  while  I  lived  in  that  part  of  the 
country.  I  am  sure  that  no  one  who  saw  him  during  the  last 
week  of  his  life  can  ever  forget  him.  Often  have  I  thought 
of  his  appearance,  and  my  blood  has  chilled  in  my  veins. 
Yet,  hardened  and  wicked  as  he  was,  "  his  sin  found  him  out." 
Even  in  this  world  he  felt  the  gnawings  "  of  the  -worm  that 
never  dies."  He  had  a  clear  perception  of  what  his  sins  de- 
served, and  though  he  trembled  and  shrunk  at  the  sight,  yet 
no  meltings  of  godly  sorrow  came  over  his  soul.  No  change 
of  posture  gave  ease  to  his  tortured  spirit.  He  had  often 
prayed  that  God  would  damn  his  soul ;  but  now  he  felt  he 
could  not  pray  that  it  might  be  saved.  He  had  racked  his  in- 
vention to  make  the  most  absurd  and  wicked  oaths,  and  now 
lie  saw  them  returning  upon  his  own  soul,  and  ready  to  sinic 
him  to  that  world  of  woe  from  which  he  seemed  to  have  bor- 
rowed language  to  express  the  wickedness  of  his  heart. 

"  It  is  too  late— too  late  for  me,"  was  his  cry,  when  urged 
to  repent — "  Too  late-^too  late."  "  He  knew  his  duty,  but 
be  did  it  not."  He  knew  that  he  was  a  creature  of  God,  who 
had  a  claim  to  his  obedience.  He  knew  that  his  laws  were 
holy,  just,  and  good,  and  that  he  had  wilfully  broken  them, 
and  incurred  the  penalty.  ''  The  soul  that  sinneth  it  shall 
die." 

Reader,  is  it  yet  "  too  late "  for  you  ?  Are  you  still  in 
your  sins  ?  Is  it  nothing  to  you  that  God  your  Maker  claims 
your  obediencaand  love?  Is  it  nothing  to  you  that  the  Re- 
deemer has  died,  and  that  "  he  that  bglieveth  "  in  him^  *'  shall 
be  saved,  and  he  that  believeth  not  shall  be  damned  1" 

Are  you  a  profane  swearer  ?  "  Be  sure  your  sin  will  find 
you  out."  Have  you  ever  prayed  God  to  '■'•damn  your  soulV 
He  has  heard  that  prayer,  and  it  may  be,  he  will  answer  it 
according  to  your  request.  And  now  let  me  seriously  ask 
you,  can  you  calmly  repeat  the  impious  prayer  you  have  so 
often  uttered  ?  Can  you  do  it  ?  Dare  you  do  it  ?  Are  you  so 
hardened  in  sin  that  you  can  deliberatelj"-  pray  for  "  damna- 
tion ?"  •  ■ 

Think,  what  is  it  to  be  damned — to  be  cast  off  from  God, 
from  happiness,  from  heaven,  and  cast  down  to  hell  the  prison 
of  despair?  Think,  too,  that  this  will  be  eternal.  God  hath 
said,  "  The  wicked  shall  go  away  into  everlg,sting  punishment^ 
where  their  worm  dieth  not,  and  the  fire  is  not  quenched." 

Do  you  plead  as  an  excuse  for  swearing,  that'youdoit 
thoughtlessly,  that  you  have  acquired  the  habit,  and  no.w  you 
hardly  know  when  you  swear  ?  This  is  a  dreadful  acknowl- 
edgement that  you  constantly  break  the  command,  '.'  Thou 
shalt  not  t>ake  the  name  of  the  Lord  tftj    God  in  vain,"  that 


tlJE    BOLD   BLASPHEMER.  7 

it  has  become  habitual.  You  thus  acknowledgo  that  you  care 
not  for  the  command,  and  defy  the  penalty. 

Do  you  say  that  you  only  swear  when  you  are  in  a  passion? 
Do  you  offer  this  as  an  excuse  ?  Will  you  carry  up  this  ex- 
cuse to  the  judgment  of  the  great  God,  before  whom  y«u 
must  answer  for  "every  idle  word?"  Will  you  tell  -/wwi'that 
you  broke  his  commands  thoughtlessly,  habitually,  and  when 
you  were  in  a  passion ;  or  do  you  hope  to  escape  the  notice  of 
Omniscience?  Thiuk  not  that  in  that  immense  assembly  when 
all  who  have  lived  shall  stand  before  the  Judge,  you  may  be 
overlooked  or  passed  by  unobserved.  O  no.  He  who  num- 
bers the  hairs  of  your  head;  whose  eyes,  as  a  flame  of  fire, 
have  been  fixed  .upon  you  during  all  your  wayward  course  ; 
who  has  often  warned  you  by  his  providence,  his  ministers, 
his  Spirit,  and  by  your  own  conscience;  who  has  borne  with 
you  patiently,  it  may  be  twenty,  thirty,  or  fifty  years;  he 
will  not  let  you  escape.  The  mounrains  will  rot  heed  your 
call,  nor  the  hills  cover  you  "  from  the  face  of  Him  that  sit- 
teth  on  the  throne,  and  from  the  wrath  of  the  Lamb." 

Now,  fellow-sinner,  what  will  you  do?  Conscieifce  whim- 
pers that  you  are  verily  guilty.  What  then  will  you  do'? 
Come  to  a  decision.  Will  you  continue  this  senseless,  absurd, 
wicked  practice  of  swearing;  or  will  you  break  off  from  this, 
and  all  other  sins,  and  lead  a  life  of  obedience  to  all  the  com- 
mands of  your  Maker  ?  Will  you  throw  aside  this  Tract, 
which  pleads  with  you,  as  a  man  with  his  friend,  to  think  of 
these  things  as  you  will  wish  you  had  done  when  you  come  to 
die?  Will  you  deliberately  crowd  these- considerations  out 
of  mind,  and  pursue  the  same  downward  course  ?  Will  you, 
when  your  eternal  all  is  at  stake,  throw  nway  your  soul  ? 
Throw  it  awa}'  !  Where?  Into  the  cold,  dark,  cheerless  gulf 
of  annihilation?  This  you  cannot  do.  You  cannot  cease  to 
exist.  0  no.  If  you  repentnot,  you  wilfully  throw  your  soul 
into  that  boundless,  unfathomable  abyss  where  no  sound  is 
heard  save  '•  weeping,  and  wailing,  and  gnashing  of  teeth. for 
ever."     •  . 


JUDGMENT^ 

HYMN. 


QEE  til'  Eternal  Judge  clescending- 
1^  View  him  seated  on  liis  throne  1 
Now  poor  sinner,  now  lamenting, 

Stand  and  hear  thy  awful  doom — 
Trumpets  call  thee ! 

Stand  and  hear  thy  awful  doom. 


Hear  the  cries  he  now  is  venting, 
Fill'd  with  dread  of  fiercer  pain  ; 

While  in  anguish  thus  lamenting, 
That  he  ne'er  was  trorn  again. 

Greatly  mourning. 
That  he  ne'er  was  born  again. 


*'  Yonder  sits  my  slighted  Saviour, 
With'  the  marks  of  dying  love  ; 

Oh,  that  I  had  sought  his  fkvor, 
When  I  felt  his  Spirit  move — 

Golden  moments. 
When  I  felt  his  Spirit  move." 


Now,  despisers,  look  and  wonder  ! 

Hope  and  sinners  here  must  part, 
Louder  than  a  peal  of  thunder, 

Hear  the  dreadful  sound,  "  Depart !  " 
Lost  for  ever. 

Hear  the  dreadful  sound,  "  Depart !  " 


RICHMOND,        VA: 
FBESBVTERIAN      COMMITTEE    OF    PUBLICATIOTr. 


HoUinger  Corp. 
pH  8.5 


